Challenging The Raffles Myth

IN THE PAST DECADE, the general perception of Singapore as a sleepy fishing village before the arrival of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles in 1819 has been changing. Scholarly research coupled with archeological digs show that Singapore was in all likelihood a thriving entrepot long before the British East India Company ever set foot on it.

The history document Sejarah Melayu (The Malay Annals) noted the existence of a 14th-century Kingdom of Singapura situated between the Singapore River and Fort Canning Hill. Precious Tang dynasty artefacts from the famous Belitung Shipwreck off the coast of Sumatra showed that the Malays had been trading with the Chinese since at least the 9th century.

Similarly, the image of Raffles as a vaunted statesman has also been called to question. Despite what has been taught to millions of Singapore schoolchildren over the years, Raffles is understood to be a gifted and ambitious diplomat, but also deeply flawed and not above trickery and manipulation to get his way.